And while we are back again, why do not you say a word of Chimborazo, the volcano of 6350 meters, the highest mountain in Ecuador and also one of the highest in America ( compared Mont Blanc in Europe is just 4800 meters).
We benefited from the fact that we lived at the foot of the mountain to make a trip to base camp and even a little more for the fittest and most adventurous.
The bus left us at 4800 meters and almost everyone then walked to the refuge at 5000 meters.
(If you look closely you see in this picture a group of students who walk to the refuge, as shown in the middle of the picture.)
This is where climbers go to the summit. They normally start to go up to 23h or midnight summit and return at 9am or 10am the next morning. The fact of climbing at night reduces the risk of being struck by a falling stone or an avalanche, and facilitates the rise because the snow is harder and more stable, especially when crossing crevasses.
In our case there was no question of making the summit. But it was still a great challenge to climb up the snow at about 5300 meters. This is what makes some students, including Marc Anthony, Patrick C. and Julien, who have brought back photos and pieces of ice to prove it.
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